Intercultural Adjustment for Teachers Abroad

The purpose of this research was to analyze how teachers adjusted to living and teaching overseas. Many teachers choose to move abroad for their careers, or for a portion of their careers. It is therefore vital that they adjust to the host culture and host culture within the educational institute, with a level of adaptability and cultural sensitivity. Some teachers appear to adapt well while others seem to struggle, causing distress for themselves and their workplace. The scope of this research was wide, searching for common themes regarding cultural adjustment among those living abroad as teachers. Eleven teachers were interviewed using a qualitative, ethnographic approach. The teachers were all currently teaching abroad or had recently taught abroad (within the last 12 months) in countries outside of the United States. The average length of time abroad was five years. Their responses resulted in a variety of topics concerning cultural adjustment; these were organized into four larger themes, including: 1) positive orientation towards different cultures, 2) school and workplace adjustment, 3) family and home life, and 4) additional factors. The results were then applied as strategies for international schools and international teachers to use to better support teachers’ intercultural adjustment. The implications included seven strategies: 1) hiring teachers with previous experiences abroad or interest in other cultures and languages, 2) providing initial support and orientation programs, 3) choosing a positive mindset towards the host culture, 4) developing a support network with other international teachers and with local people, 5) accepting and valuing cultural differences in the workplace, 6) appreciating the benefits that the differences in cultures offers, and 7) prioritizing immediate family needs. This research should be helpful for both international teachers and schools abroad who hire teachers from overseas in any capacity

Community Partnerships: Collaboration for Youth Service Learning

On behalf of the Alaska State Community Service Commission, I would like to welcome you to a series of training, forums, and workshops on Learn & Serve America programs. These programs have great potential to impact the youth and adults of our community. We are pleased to have Terry Pickeral and Rachael Vaughn with us for the week and hope to learn from them additional ways that the people of Alaska can help to create collaborative relationships for youth service, volunteerism, educational reform, and community involvement. The Alaska State Community Service Commission has been developing a State Pan that proposes strategies by which all generations of Alaskans in communities across the State can become more directly involved in meeting the social, educational, environmental, and public safety needs unique to their own areas. By building community support with parents, schools, youth, agencies, and schools, our youth in Alaska can become increasingly better citizens who are actively improving life in our communities while also preparing themselves for future careers. Thank you for attending this session on the National and Community Service Act. We are confident that the good things which come through this session will help us to continue to build successful community service opportunities

HOW HAS COVID-19 SHIFTED HOW WE SUPPORT, RECOGNISE AND MEASURE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT?

Throughout the 2019-2020 academic year, the engagement, achievement and progression of a level 4 cohort at a post-92 university in the East of England were explored in collaboration with the student cohort; questioning measurements of engagement (Bassett-Dubsky,2020). Even before Covid-19, students recognised the performative function of such measures. This chapter suggests that available indicators of student engagement have not been fit for purpose during lockdown and online learning and have exposed issues with existing measurements. Pre-lockdown, students in this study viewed both attendance and meeting submission deadlines as a matter for individual choice, such that neither factor may directly indicate engagement. During lockdown, students might engage in a recorded taught session at a time of their individual choosing in ways that support greater engagement but are measured as non-attendance - equated with non-engagement. During Covid, we have appreciated that absence or premature departure may be due to a range of issues, including digital exclusion (Yates, 2020), lack of space at home for work, and inconvenience of session time given lockdown-related responsibilities. If we can be flexible in our interpretation and support of engagement that is not signalled by attendance during Covid, we can continue to be so post-Covid. Similarly, rapid embrace of lecture capture and technology-enabled inclusive pedagogy have brought positives to lockdown learning we may wish to retain, although the role of learner analytics is considered more sceptically. Pre-Covid, the factor seen by the study cohort as most indicative of student engagement was, ‘Determination to progress and achieve’. This chapter suggests that lockdown has altered how we might identify whether a student is determined to progress and achieve, and how we might better appreciate barriers to acting on that determination. This chapter recommends that HEI should retain the Inclusive flexibilities of lockdown learning (Wonkhe & Aula, 2021) that allow student personalisation and extend these flexibilities to our interpretation and recognition (Wong and Chiu, 2020) of subjective student engagements (Parkes et al, 2020)

Evidence-Based Educational Modules on Applying the AANA Infection Control Guidelines

Inadequate hand hygiene and contamination of the anesthesia workstation have resulted in pathogen transmission and subsequent healthcare-associated infections. This clinical problem poses a significant safety threat as healthcare-associated infections are one of the leading causes of preventable patient harm and death. Research literature and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists illustrate the need for universal infection prevention precautions and standardized anesthesia workstation cleaning practices to decrease workstation contamination and healthcare-associated infections. The purpose of this project will be to create a teaching plan based on research literature and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists infection prevention and control guidelines to decrease healthcare-associated infection rates due to anesthesia workstation contamination and inadequate hand hygiene

One-pot synthesis of micron-sized polybetaine particles: innovative use of supercritical carbon dioxide

Polybetaines exhibit unique properties combining anti-polyelectrolyte and low protein fouling behaviour, as well as biocompatibility. To date, the synthesis of polybetaine particles >50 nm has proved to be extremely challenging with standard emulsion and dispersion techniques being unsuccessful. Here we present the first reported synthesis of micron-sized, discrete cross-linked polybetaine particles, using polymerisation in scCO2 with methanol as a co-solvent. Discrete particles are produced only when the methanol is efficiently removed in situ using scCO2 extraction. A relatively high crosslinking agent initial concentration (10 wt%) was found to result in the most well defined particles, and particle integrity reduced as the crosslinking agent initial concentration was decreased. A monomer loading of between 3.0 × 10−2 mol L−1 and 1.8 × 10−1 mol L−1 resulted in discrete micron sized particles, with significant agglomoration occuring as the monomer loading was increased further. A spherical morphology and extremely low size dispersity was observed by SEM analysis for the optimised particles. The particles were readily re-dispersed in aqueous solution and light scattering measurements confirmed their low size dispersity

Synthesis and Biological Studies of (+)-Liquiditerpenoic Acid A (Abietopinoic Acid) and Representative Analogues: SAR Studies

[EN] The first semisynthesis and biological profiling of the new abietane diterpenoid (+)-liquiditerpenoic acid A (abietopinoic acid) (7) along with several analogues are reported. The compounds were obtained from readily available methyl dehydroabietate (8), which was derived from (-)-abietic acid (1). Biological comparison was conducted according to the different functional groups, leading to some basic structure-activity relationships (SAR). In particular, the ferruginol and sugiol analogues 7 and 10-16 were characterized by the presence of an acetylated phenolic moiety, an oxidized C-7 as a carbonyl, and a different functional group at C-18 (methoxycarbonyl, carboxylic acid, and hydroxymethyl). The biological properties of these compounds were investigated against a panel of six representative human tumor solid cells (A549, HBL-100, HeLa, SWI573, T-47D, and WiDr), five leukemia cellular models (NALM-06, KOPN-8, SUP-B15, UoCB1, and BCR-ABL), and four Leishmania species (L. infantum, L. donovani, L. amazonensis, and L. guyanensis). A molecular docking study pointed out some targets in these Leishmania species. In addition, the ability of the compounds to modulate GABA(A) receptors (alpha(1)beta(2)gamma(2s)) is also reported. The combined findings indicate that these abietane diterpenoids offer a source of novel bioactive molecules with promising pharmacological properties from cheap chiral-pool building blocks.Financial support by the Spanish Government [Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (2016801008)] is gratefully acknowledged. M.S. thanks the support by the doctoral program "Molecular Drug Targets" (Austrian Science Fund FWF W 1232). F.R thanks the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC). M.A.D.-A. thanks the Santander Bank for the support for her project in consolidable groups of CEU-UCH.Hamulic, D.; Stadler, M.; Hering, S.; Padron, JM.; Bassett, R.; Rivas, F.; Loza-Mejia, M.... (2019). Synthesis and Biological Studies of (+)-Liquiditerpenoic Acid A (Abietopinoic Acid) and Representative Analogues: SAR Studies. Journal of Natural Products. 82(4):823-831. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b00884S82383182

The support and information needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer when active treatment ends

Background: The end of active treatment is a period of high stress for young people with cancer, but limited literature exists about their information and support needs during this phase. This study aimed to understand the needs of young people with cancer, how these needs are currently being met, and how best to provide information and support at the end of active treatment. Methods: This was a multi-stage, mixed methods study exploring the end of treatment experience from the perspectives of young people, and the healthcare professionals caring for them. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with healthcare professionals, which informed a survey administered nationally. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people. These combined results informed a co-design workshop to develop recommendations. Results: Telephone interviews were conducted with 12 healthcare professionals and 49 completed the online survey. A total of 11 young people aged 19-26 years (female = 8; 73%) were interviewed. The stakeholder workshop was attended by both healthcare professionals (n = 8) and young people (n = 3). At the end of treatment young people experience numerous ongoing physical issues including pain, fatigue and insomnia; in addition to a range of psychosocial and emotional issues including anxiety, fear of recurrence and isolation. The top three priorities for end of treatment care were: earlier provision and preparation around on-going impact of cancer and cancer treatment; standardised and continued follow-up of young people's emotional well-being; and development of more information and resources specific to young people. Conclusion: The access and availability of appropriate information and sources of support at the end of treatment is variable and inequitable. Young people's needs would be more effectively met by timely, structured and accessible information, and support provision at the end of treatment to both prepare and enable adaptation across their transition to living with and beyond cancer. This will require both organisational and practical adjustments in care delivery, in addition to a renewed and updated understanding of what the 'end of treatment' transition process means